Samsung’s Apple Vision Pro rival tipped to land alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 6

The Apple Vision Pro has become a massive talking point in the tech world, and it promises to become one of the best virtual reality headsets when it's released next year. Now, Samsung wants to get in on the action with a headset of its own, and it could be revealed alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 6 in 2024.

We already know that Samsung is working with Google and Qualcomm to launch an extended reality (XR) headset at some point in the future (extended reality is a catch-all term that covers VR, AR, and MR or mixed reality). While Samsung hasn’t given any indication of a launch timeframe, Korean outlet JoongAng (translated version) claims it will launch by the end of 2024.

Specifically, it says the headset, supposedly codenamed ‘Infinite,’ will be produced by December of next year, and we’ll get our first peek at it during one of Samsung’s Unpacked events. Samsung usually hosts two of these shows every year, but JoongAng’s source says the headset will be revealed at the event held during “the second half of next year,” which is when the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is widely tipped to make an appearance.

The headset might have launched sooner, JoongAng says, but for delays caused by “product completeness” issues. Now, though, it looks like Samsung is closing in on a firm release date.

Seriously limited production

A VR headset cla in black plastic with a simple strap and six visible cameras on its faces

(Image credit: Vrtuoluo / Samsung)

Numerous reports have suggested that Apple has seriously cut back production of its Vision Pro, from around one million units to just 400,000 headsets a year. Yet even that dwarves the number of XR headsets Samsung is set to produce.

According to JoongAng, Samsung will initially limit production of the device to just 30,000 units. This is due to the company wanting to gauge the response to its device, and assess how the industry looks after launch. In other words, Samsung wants to play it extremely safe without having to dedicate itself to a niche device in a fluctuating market.

Part of the reason for Samsung’s uncertainty might be the price. JoongAng’s report didn’t quote an expected launch price, but stated that Samsung aims to engage in a “fierce battle for leadership” in the XR space. If that’s the case, it might be planning a high-end device with a costly price tag to match. And if that’s the case, it may want to see how the industry develops before committing too heavily to its headset.

Either way, it looks as though the XR headset battle might be about to heat up, with both Samsung and Apple working on challengers to the existing incumbents like the Meta Quest Pro. Whether it will be enough for these devices to break through into the mainstream, though, is anyone’s guess.

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Brave, DuckDuckGo just gave you another way to flip Google the middle finger

Brave has announced that its web browser will now allow users to bypass AMP pages hosted by Google, which it claims are harmful to both privacy and the state of the web.

The new De-AMP feature will instead funnel web users to content hosted directly on the publisher’s website, minimizing the opportunity for additional tracking and meddling to take place.

Not to be outdone, rival privacy software company DuckDuckGo rushed to Twitter to reveal that its apps and extensions now offer similar functionality, but the specifics of the implementation are not yet clear.

Google’s AMP troubles

Rolled out in 2015, AMP (short for accelerated mobile pages) is a system whereby stripped-back versions of trending web pages are preloaded and served up via Google servers.

When AMP was first announced, Google said it beleived the system would help ensure rich web content such as video and animation would load rapidly and behave consistently across all platforms, thereby improving the web experience.

However, the scheme has come under criticism from publishers and privacy advocates alike, who say AMP gives Google yet more signals to gobble up in support of its digital advertising business, creates confusion as to the source of information and forces publishers to build their websites to Google’s desired spec.

“AMP harms users’ privacy, security and internet experience, and just as bad, AMP helps Google further monopolize and control the direction of the web,” wrote Brave, in a blog post.

And in a Twitter thread, DuckDuckGo presented a similar justification for its decision to move against the initiative.

“AMP technology is bad for privacy because it enables Google to track users even more,” said the firm. “And Google uses AMP to further entrench its monopoly, forcing the technology on publishers by prioritizing AMP links in search and favoring Google ads on AMP pages.”

Since the launch of AMP, a number of publishers (including Future plc., parent to TechRadar Pro) have abandoned the system. And now, browser vendors like Brave and DuckDuckGo are coming out with their own tools to help web users bypass AMP altogether.

“Where possible, De-AMP will rewrite links and URLs to prevent users from visiting AMP pages altogether,” explained Brave. “And in cases where that is not possible, Brave will watch as pages are being fetched and redirect users away from AMP pages before the page is even rendered, preventing AMP/Google code from being loaded and executed.”

Brave’s De-AMP feature is now available in both Nightly and Beta versions of its browser and will be enabled by default in the next full public release. TechRadar Pro is awaiting further specifics about DuckDuckGo’s efforts.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

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Brave, DuckDuckGo just gave you another way to flip Google the middle finger

Brave has announced that its web browser will now allow users to bypass AMP pages hosted by Google, which it claims are harmful to both privacy and the state of the web.

The new De-AMP feature will instead funnel web users to content hosted directly on the publisher’s website, minimizing the opportunity for additional tracking and meddling to take place.

Not to be outdone, rival privacy software company DuckDuckGo rushed to Twitter to reveal that its apps and extensions now offer similar functionality, but the specifics of the implementation are not yet clear.

Google’s AMP troubles

Rolled out in 2015, AMP (short for accelerated mobile pages) is a system whereby stripped-back versions of trending web pages are preloaded and served up via Google servers.

When AMP was first announced, Google said it beleived the system would help ensure rich web content such as video and animation would load rapidly and behave consistently across all platforms, thereby improving the web experience.

However, the scheme has come under criticism from publishers and privacy advocates alike, who say AMP gives Google yet more signals to gobble up in support of its digital advertising business, creates confusion as to the source of information and forces publishers to build their websites to Google’s desired spec.

“AMP harms users’ privacy, security and internet experience, and just as bad, AMP helps Google further monopolize and control the direction of the web,” wrote Brave, in a blog post.

And in a Twitter thread, DuckDuckGo presented a similar justification for its decision to move against the initiative.

“AMP technology is bad for privacy because it enables Google to track users even more,” said the firm. “And Google uses AMP to further entrench its monopoly, forcing the technology on publishers by prioritizing AMP links in search and favoring Google ads on AMP pages.”

Since the launch of AMP, a number of publishers (including Future plc., parent to TechRadar Pro) have abandoned the system. And now, browser vendors like Brave and DuckDuckGo are coming out with their own tools to help web users bypass AMP altogether.

“Where possible, De-AMP will rewrite links and URLs to prevent users from visiting AMP pages altogether,” explained Brave. “And in cases where that is not possible, Brave will watch as pages are being fetched and redirect users away from AMP pages before the page is even rendered, preventing AMP/Google code from being loaded and executed.”

Brave’s De-AMP feature is now available in both Nightly and Beta versions of its browser and will be enabled by default in the next full public release. TechRadar Pro is awaiting further specifics about DuckDuckGo’s efforts.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip phone officially revealed in commercial during the Oscars

While many pundits (us included) were expecting Samsung to reveal its much-rumored foldable clamshell device, the Galaxy Z Flip, at its Unpacked 2020 event on February 11, the Korean company has jumped the gun by fully revealing the device in a commercial aired during tonight's Oscars broadcast.

The commercial was spotted by The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel, who managed to capture the TV spot and post it on his Twitter page – you can check the commercial below.

In the video, the Galaxy Z Flip is mostly shown sitting on a table and folded at a 90-degree angle, allowing users to easily video chat and also view themselves, hands-free. 

We'd previously heard reports that the device would be targeted at a younger female audience, and this commercial seems to back that up, particularly in the way it presents the phone in a similar fashion to the clamshell-style powder compact cases that reportedly inspired its design.

As pointed out by The Verge, small print is displayed during the commercial informing viewers that they “may notice a small crease in the center of the main screen, which is a natural characteristic of the screen.”

During its brief 30-second runtime, the ad also offers a look at the Galaxy Z Flip's small outer touch display, which sits next to the device's dual camera and shows an incoming call which can be interacted with directly. We presume notifications will also be shown on this smaller screen. 

While pricing and availability information wasn't revealed during the TV spot, it does end with the suggestion that – as expected – all will be revealed during Samsung's Unpacked 2020 event. 

As always, we'll keep you updated with any new Galaxy Z Flip developments as they happen.

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